Yesterday, Adams issued a new health advisory pertaining to cannabis consumption and the developing brain. He wrote:

“Marijuana use during pregnancy can affect the developing fetus. THC can enter the fetal brain from the mother’s bloodstream and may disrupt the endocannabinoid system, which is important for a healthy pregnancy and fetal brain development. Moreover, studies have shown that marijuana use in pregnancy is associated with adverse outcomes, including lower birth weight… “Maternal marijuana use may still be dangerous to the baby after birth. THC has been found in breast milk for up to six days after the last recorded use. It may affect the newborn’s brain development and result in hyperactivity, poor cognitive function, and other long-term consequences. Additionally, marijuana smoke contains many of the same harmful components as tobacco smoke. No one should smoke marijuana or tobacco around a baby.”

Meanwhile, research suggests cannabis use by pregnant women is on the rise.

A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) indicated that the number of women in Northern California, who reported having consumed cannabis in the year prior to becoming pregnant nearly doubled, rising from 6.8 percent in 2009 to 12.5 percent in 2017.

Similarly, numbers from the 2016-17 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) revealed that 1 in 14, or 7 percent, of pregnant women self-reported having consumed cannabis within the last 30 days. That number in 2002-03 was about three percent. While many of the women attributed their consumption to not yet knowing they were pregnant, others reported using the drug to help with nausea and morning sickness.

Researchers expressed similar concerns to the surgeon general.

Surgeon General Jerome Adams speaks at press conference on August 29, 2019 in Washington, DC. Surgeon General issued an advisory Thursday warning against marijuana use by pregnant women and youths.Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images

“Cannabis use during pregnancy may adversely affect the health of pregnant mothers and the developing fetus. A growing body of literature suggests that prenatal cannabis use is associated with lower offspring birthweight, and there is evidence of possible adverse effects on other fetal and neonatal outcomes, as well as worse neuropsychological functioning among children exposed to cannabis in utero,” concluded the Northern California study.

The authors of the NSDUH study concur.

“Because we don’t know exactly how harmful it is, it’s better to err on the side of caution,” Dr. Nora Volkow, lead author of the study and director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) said in an interview with The Washington Post. Dr. Volkow added that cannabis consumption during pregnancy is “not worth the risk.”

Meanwhile, some harm reduction advocates maintain that such publicity can incite further stigmatization of pregnant drug users. Instead of causing women to stop consuming, it could lead to fewer women seeking out prenatal care in the first place, due to fear of being judged. In one such study from the National Institute of Health, 14 percent of women surveyed responded that screening for prenatal drug use would deter them from seeking prenatal care.

There are already considerable barriers between American women and medical care, many of them cost-related. The U.S. has an alarmingly high infant mortality rate at 5.8 infant deaths per 1,000 live births; the rate for comparable countries is 3.8.

On the heels of the Surgeon General’s warning, Americans will need to find a healthy balance that benefits both women and their fetuses.

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